International students and part-time jobs

Working part-time during your studies

As an international student in Holland, you might want to take a part-time job, just as Dutch students do.
Besides helping to cover your costs, a job can also give you useful work experience, allow you to
participate in Dutch society and make it easier for you to learn the language. Your position as a job
applicant is somewhat different from that of Dutch students, however. That is what this factsheet is about.

How do I find a part-time job?

The easiest way to find a job is through an employment agency, or uitzendbureau. Some agencies
specialise in jobs for students. The student affairs office at the Dutch institution where you are enrolled can
provide addresses or may even have their own job agency. Of course you can also respond to
advertisements or search for a job on the internet. The following websites may be helpful:

1. www.undutchables.nl
2. international.monsterboard.nl
3. www.dutchisnotrequired.nl
4. www.studentenbaan.nl (in Dutch)

Formalities and rules

Your position is different from that of Dutch students and you will have to take several practical restrictions
into account, such as your probable lack of fluency in the Dutch language. It goes without saying that if you
are enrolled in an English-taught programme and have not had to learn any Dutch, certain jobs will be out
of your reach. But even if you do speak Dutch, some jobs simply require the fluency of a native speaker.
Always make sure you know about the relevant formalities and rules before you begin to look for a job.

Work permit

Many foreign students need a work permit in order to hold a part-time job in the Netherlands. Whether you
will need a permit depends on your nationality.

5. If you are a citizen of the EU/EEA (except for Croatia) and Switzerland you do not need a work permit.
There is no restriction on the number of hours you are allowed to work.

6. If you are a citizen of Croatia transitional rules apply with respect to the labour market. You will still
need a work permit. It is up to your employer or the employment agency to apply for your work permit
from UWV WERKbedrijf. You cannot do this yourself. There is no restriction on the number of hours
you are allowed to work, but it is easier if you limit the hours to ten a week or full-time during the
summer months June, July and August only. In that case the application process for a work permit is
much easier as the UWV WERKbedrijf applies simplified rules (see also: citizens of all other
countries).
Citizens of all other countries will need a work permit. Dutch immigration law restricts the number of
hours you may work. You may either do seasonal work full-time (but only in June, July and August), or
you may work part-time throughout the rest of the year (but no more than ten hours a week); you may not
do both. It is up to your employer or the employment agency to apply for your work permit from UWV
WERKbedrijf. You cannot do this yourself. The application must be accompanied by a copy of your
residence permit for study purposes and by a statement from your institution confirming that you are
enrolled as a student. It will take about five weeks to process the application. Simplified rules are now in
place for the work permit application procedure, which means that UWV WERKbedrijf no longer performs
all the checks stipulated in the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen, Wav).
Employers may not always be aware of the simplified rules, and may be wary about applying for a work
permit. There is no need for this, though.

Healthcare insurance

Dutch public healthcare insurance is called basiszorgverzekering, or ‘basic care insurance’. Dutch law
requires everyone in Holland with resident or employee status to take out public healthcare insurance.
Students who are in Holland solely for study purposes are exempt from this general requirement and are
allowed to have other insurance, such as private healthcare insurance. If you start a part-time job,
however, you will immediately have to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance, since now you are no
longer just a student, but also an employee. This applies no matter how many hours you work per week.
You are advised to take this into consideration before starting a job, because Dutch public healthcare
insurance may be more expensive than the insurance you otherwise use. This rule also applies to EU
citizens who are covered by an EU Health Insurance Card. From the moment you start working, you need
to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance. If you intend to work part-time on and off, make sure you
choose an insurance company that allows you to switch between private and public healthcare insurance.
For more detailed information, please check the ‘Healthcare insurance for international students in
Holland’ factsheet on www.studyinholland.nl.

Healthcare allowance

As the costs of Dutch public healthcare insurance can weigh heavily on a small budget, the Dutch
government provides a healthcare allowance to people with low incomes. If you are insured through a
Dutch public healthcare insurance you are eligible to apply for this healthcare allowance. Since the online
application tool requires an electronic signature it is generally easiest to order an application form through
your local tax office. The healthcare allowance application form is only available in Dutch. To help students
complete this Dutch form EP-Nuffic has created a translated version, which can be downloaded from
www.studyinholland.nl. Please note that you are not to submit this English application form; it is only a tool
to help you fill out the Dutch form.

Social security

Social security contributions will be deducted from your gross pay. These deductions support the systems
that provide disability pay and unemployment benefits – meaning that, as an employee, you will be insured
against the consequences of any work-related accident. Your employer is obliged to deduct these social
security contributions from your pay before you get it. These deductions can easily take up a third of your
gross pay. Your employer’s human resources department can provide a detailed explanation of this and
other elements of your payslip.

Income tax

You are required to pay tax over your total Dutch income for the year. Scholarships may also be counted
as income and added to the total. If you have both a scholarship that is taxed and a part-time job, you
might receive less money than with only a scholarship. If you have a foreign scholarship and your country
has signed a tax treaty with the Netherlands, it is possible that your scholarship will not be taxed in Holland
(since according to Dutch law a person is only obliged to pay income tax in one country). Holland has tax
treaties with many countries, including all EU member states. For more information about this complicated
issue, contact your employer’s human resources department or the Tax & Customs Administration’s
inquiry desk for private individuals (Belastingdienst particulieren, phone 0800 0543 or
www.belastingdienst.nl).

Agreements with your employer

Before you start a job, it is wise to settle all the formalities with your employer, such as the number of
holiday days you are entitled to, your insurance coverage and your tax situation. Also make sure you know
the organisation’s own rules and regulations regarding the terms of employment.

Stick to the rules…

Some students take jobs in, for example, cafes and restaurants through unofficial channels, where the
employer does not pay any social security contributions for them. The pay for such jobs is usually higher
than for regular jobs, but it is important to realise that this practice (called zwartwerken, or ‘working in the
black’) is illegal, and means that you cannot claim any rights as an employee. Moreover, you will not be
insured in the event of a work-related accident. You should also be aware that if you need a work permit
and your employer lets you work without one, he or she risks a high fine in the event of discovery. In the
worst case you might even lose your residence permit.

More information

For more information about employment formalities, please contact your institution and/or employment
agency.

December 2016

About EP-Nuffic

EP-Nuffic is the expertise and service centre for internationalisation in Dutch education, from primary and secondary
education to higher professional and academic higher education and research. From its headquarters in The Hague
and eleven offices worldwide, EP-Nuffic pursues its mission of internationalising education. As an expert, a service
provider, a knowledge centre and as a model for the internationalisation of education.

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